Vinita Sethi - SVP & Chief Public Affairs Officer, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL)
A policy and development economist, Vinita has worked in multiple roles in policy advocacy, research, and served on diverse cross-industry and government stakeholders’ forums for over 30 years. She is also an MCA approved independent director, leveraging her expertise and experiences to make a meaningful impact specifically in areas of CSR and good governance.
Currently consulting as Chief Public Affairs Officer at the Apollo Hospitals group since 2016, she leads policy advocacy with government and other stakeholders. She serves on key stakeholders’ forums at industry associations and on global forums including World Economic Forum (WEF). She also leads WEF’s Deputies’ network of Edison Alliance on digital health inclusion to transform lives of one billion people by 2025.
As the former President of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI, 2023-24), Vinita has been deeply involved in strengthening the cross-sectoral interface between government and public policy professionals. She has also served as a past Board member of FIND India (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, 2020-2024) and actively aligned FIND's projects on eliminating TB with both government and industry.
She has been a Governing Council member of the healthcare association- NatHealth (2019-2021), Co-Convener of Digital Inclusion and Mentorship under the ‘Empowering Greater 50’ initiative of FICCI FLO, member of Empower G20 Forum, and Former President of the Lady Sri Ram College (LSR) Alumni Association- ELSA (2017/19).
Through policy advocacy across national and multilateral forums, both at FICCI and CII (1992-2014), Vinita facilitated policy dialogues on economic reforms and engaged in consultations on economy and industry, including in areas of trade, investment, taxation, environment, sectoral policy forums in manufacturing, education, telecom, healthcare and CSR. She also launched the FICCI Confederation of MSMEs as Assistant Secretary General-FICCI (2012-14).
As Vice President (2015-2016) at Bharti Enterprises, Vinita engaged with government extensively on telecom policy, CSR, and worked on collaborative projects with global organisations including ATC, World Economic Forum (WEF), Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Qatar Foundation Endowment, GSMA, Broadband Commission, International Chamber of Commerce, CEO Forums across US, UK, and Africa. Vinita also served as nominee on Board of Bharti Foundation that imparts holistic education to under-privileged children in rural India. Earlier, Vinita led strategic partnerships at the Spice Mobility (2010-2012), where she launched the CSR initiative- EK Soch Sandbox to support start- ups in socially impactful digital projects.
She has contributed articles to UN ESCAP, WEF blogs, Niti Aayog’s strategy for New India @75, and several other white papers, including Safe Air Now: Protecting healthcare workers and patients from TB and other airborne pathogens, in collaboration with EWTB and other partners.
Vinita has a master’s degree in international relations from IUJ-Japan (1987-89), a master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics (1985-87), and bachelor’s in economics from the Lady Shri Ram College (1982-85).
